From the book:

My name is Sasha Beckdell Lewis. I used to be afraid of sort of everything. Clowns. Cats. Snowballs. Most knives. Some forks. Car wash places. Sprinkler heads. Men in beards. Men in moustaches. Blood. Ketchup (because it looks like blood). Most kinds of cheeses. And that was just my starter list. That was, until my best friend, Courtney, made me try out for the eighth grade soccer team.

That team, that year, that sport, changed my life forever. Soccer has been the most steady and stable thing in my life since then. I cannot imagine where I would be today without the game. But I will never forget the time when I couldn't kick a ball or run for more than a block. I will never forget the girl who was afraid of the world.